Merchandise display package



3 Sheets-Sheet} Filed May 28, 1954 NVENTOR Jan. 19, 1960 c. RYAN 2,921,673

MERCHANDISE DISPLAY PACKAGE Filed May 28, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR l s s 2 v a s A? ATTORNEY 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 28, 1954 INJENTOR ATTORNEY United States 2,921,673 MERCHANDISE DISPLAY PACKAGE Charles Ryan, Orange, Conn., assignor to The A. C. Gilbert Company, New Haven, Conn., a corporation of Maryland Application May 28,1954, Serial No. 432,952 3 Claims. (Cl. 206-4531) This-invention relates to a compartmented merchandise package adapted to contain, display and segregate articles of merchandise in a manner to prevent such articles from mixing within their box-like enclosure when not fastened nor attached to any part of the package.

One object of the invention is to house such merchandise in a manner to make the separated articles and identifying markings visible through a wall of the containing box. 7

Another object is so to combine a tray-like drawer in removable relation to an enclosing box that one wall of the box coacts with pockets in the tray in a manner to cover over such pockets and seal off communication therebetween so that articles of merchandise in one such pocket are maintained segregated from articles in another pocket.

A further object is to provide article containing pockets in a tray that is formed from a single sheet of flexible transparent material by drawing said sheet into multiple dished formations joined by a web of the sheet material that is continuous between the pockets.

A further object is to provide the multiple dished sheet of transparent material with an embossed ridge rimming each of the pockets and adapted to abut against the inner surface of a wall of the container or its cover.

A further object is to provide such wall of the box with a transparent window portion or portions extending over a sufiicient area to cover and register with a plurality of the article containing pockets.

A further object is to provide the package with printed -45 through the transparent body of the tray as well as matter disposed to be visible from the outside of the box through the window portion and preferably in such manner that the printed matter may be removed from the package and replaced by different printed matter without necessitating any change of marking that is carried by the tray or applied to any surface of the box.

These and other objects of the invention will become better apparent from the following description of a suc cessful embodiment of the improvements which has reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of an improved merchandising package incorporating the invention and partially pulled apart.

Fig. 2 is a broadside view of the package of Fig. l loaded with items of merchandise that are segregated within the package and visible from the outside of the box.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of a corner portion of the package drawn on a larger scale showing certain of the walls broken away better to expose interior parts overlapped thereby.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view drawn on a further enlarged scale taken in section on the plane 44 in Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is an endwise view of the box in preferred actual size shown open and with contents removed.

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are broadside views respectively of the box, the tray, and a sheet of printed matter.ir'ise itible therebetween.

In the drawings the box is of conventional tuck-end.

cardboard construction having broadside walls 12. and 13 joined by permanently closed edge walls 14 and having a bendable tuck flap 15 hinged at each end of the box and bridging the space between walls 12 and -13. Flap 15 is bendable to open position'as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 5, as also are the corner tabs 16.

The box, preferably of relatively shallow proportion, is adapted to receive a drawer 20 which will slide into and out of the box as indicated in Fig. 1. The drawer 2t) approximates in overall area the-area of the broad-' side walls 12 and 13 of the box and is sufiiciently thin to fit slidably therebetween in sandwiched relation theret0.

Drawer 20 comprises a somewhat shallow tray of thin flexible material dished in neighboring locations to form a plurality of merchandise container pockets or interconnected cups 21 distributed over a sufliciently full area of the tray to stiffen the drawer in substantially all dire'c tions against bending as a unit and especially when withdrawn from the .box interior even though the tray is made of quite flexible material. The articles of merchandise illustrated in Fig. 2 are take-apart wire puzzles 19.

The pockets 21 are bounded by side wall 22- that extends crosswise of the shallow space that separates box Walls 12 and 13, which side walls are joined by a continuous web 23 of the material of which the tray is made. Web 23 is spaced from the broadside box walls 12., 13 and extends parallel therewith. Bent-over terminal flanges 25 whose width equals the shallow depth of the box interior stiffen all edges of drawer 20.

At the rim of each pocket or cup 21 a reverse bend is formed in the material of the tray to therebyform a hollow ridge individually rimming each pocket. All of these ridges are in coplanar relation and abut the flat inner surface of the front wall 12 of the box, whereby the container pockets are isolated one from another to segregate their contained articles of merchandise.

Such inner surface of the box in part comprises one or more Window openings spanned by non-brittle thin transparent sheet material 27 such as cellophane, polyethylene or other suitable, transparent sheet plastic ce-r tion, shape and size with the bottoms-of pockets 21 but which may consist of any printed lettering or any insignia desired to be visible from the outside of the box through the windows 27 and through the transparent material of the drawer 20. Thus if the merchandise articles to be displayed in the pockets 21 of drawer 20 are light colored the markings 29 may be dark colored and vice versa. Or names or shapes of the particular differing articles intended to be stored in each pocket can be marked on sheet 29 to guide the restoration of:

differing articles therefrom.

Much of the advantage of these improvements is attainable in packages incorporating a box with removable cover as substitute for the top wall 12 of the tuckend type of box herein shown and various other modifications can be made without of the invention,

to the proper pockets after removal wherefore the appended claims are in- Patented Jan. 19, 1960 departing from the spirit tended to cover all fair equivalents for the disclosed parts and arrangement as fall within the broadest interpretation of the wording of the claims,

"I'claim:

1. A compartmented display package. comprising a shallow box havinglbroadside walls separated by 'a space for merchandise, a tray dished in separate locations thereby to form a plurality of interconnected side by side cups having coplanar rims and slidable edgewise into and out of said space, said tray substantially filling said space and being of transparent sheet material in at least said dished locations, a transparent window pane forming a portion of one broadside wall of said box of sufiicient area to overlie a plurality of said cups in a manner to make sliding contact with said coplanar rims thereof, and background markings associated with the side by side positions of said cups located between said tray and the other broadside wall of said box, whereby said cups are coyered and their respective contents isolated therewithin by said sliding contact between said pane and said cup rims while leaving said background markings visible from the exterior of the box through said window pane and through said transparent cups.

2. A compartmented merchandise display package as defined in claim 1, in which the said rims of the said cups are joined by a web of the said transparent sheet material spaced from the said window pane.

3. A compartmented merchandise display package as defined in claim 1, in which the said cup rims comprise a reverse bend of the said transparent sheet material bordering the cup having sliding contact with the said transparent window pane.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 138,968 Wachter Oct. 3, 1944 1,255,789 Pruyn Feb. 5, 1918 1,501,770 Hanisch July 15, 1924 1,921,256 Hiester Aug. 8, 1933 2,199,476 Berg May 7, 1940 2,353,819 Duell July 18; 1944 2,429,063 Jones et al. Oct. 14, 1947 2,582,476 Buttery Jan. 15, 1952 2,612,989 Harrison Oct. 7, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 416,604 Italy Dec. 5, 

